Podcast
Almost Nowhere
Hosted by The CAS Institute · EN
Almost Nowhere explores the intersection of data science, AI, and actuarial thinking in the P&C insurance industry—and beyond. In a world where innovation feels slow and risk is constantly evolving, we ask the hard questions, spotlight real-world progress, and talk with the people driving change. Whether you're an actuary, a data scientist, or just curious about what’s next, this show dives into how emerging tech is reshaping insurance from the inside out.
24episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Beyond the Pacific: Inside Japan’s Insurance System
Yesterday00:44:02Tap to summarizeRecorded live at the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, this episode of Almost Nowhere explores how Japan’s insurance industry manages some of the most concentrated catastrophe risk in the world.Hosts Alicia Burke and Max Martinelli are joined by Suguru Fujita, Yohei Konishi, Takuro Oyama, and Kenta Ito for a conversation on earthquakes, typhoons, reinsurance structures, catastrophe modeling, public-private partnerships, and the cultural mindset behind resilience in Japan.The discussion dives into how Japanese insurers approach pricing, regulation, AI, claims response, and long-term catastrophe management — and what U.S. actuaries and insurers can learn from a system built around collaboration, preparedness, and recovery.
Transcribe →Jim Weiss & Howard Kunst
2w ago00:32:03Tap to summarizeClimate risk is changing faster than actuarial practice.In this episode of Almost Nowhere, Jim Weiss challenges how actuaries think about responsibility when models, data, and assumptions start to break down. From overlooked casualty impacts to the limits of today’s frameworks, this conversation pushes beyond the usual climate narrative.Plus, what AI means for all of it — and why the real risk might not be what you think.Filmed at the 2026 CAS RPM Seminar in Chicago.
Transcribe →Charles Johnson
3w ago00:48:20Tap to summarizeAI is rapidly reshaping how actuaries are trained, hired, and evaluated. In this episode, Alicia Burke and Max Martinelli talk with Charles Johnson—actuary, educator, and founder—about what’s changing across the talent pipeline.From AI-assisted learning to AI-influenced interviews, the gap between high-performing candidates and those relying too heavily on tools is widening. The conversation explores hiring challenges, why traditional interviews fall short, and how hands-on work is becoming the clearest signal of real ability.As the profession evolves, one question stands out: who will adapt—and who will fall behind?
Transcribe →Mario DiCaro and Shine Wang on the CAS AI Primer
Apr 600:37:50Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Almost Nowhere, we dig into the CAS AI Primer and the problem it was built to solve: a growing divide between actuaries actively experimenting with AI and those keeping their distance.Our guests, part of the CAS AI working group, explain why that gap exists—and why it matters. While some practitioners are already building, testing, and validating AI-driven workflows, others are holding back due to uncertainty, risk, and lack of a clear starting point.Access the Primer: https://www.casact.org/publications-research/research/ai-tools-and-resources
Transcribe →Josh Pyle
Jan 3000:39:42Tap to summarizeJosh Pyle, Head of Corporate Actuarial, Reinsurance Strategy & ERM at Root Insurance, joins Max Martinelli, Alicia Burke, and surprise co-host Sergey Filimonov for a deep dive into generative AI agents. From governance and regulation to experimentation and business alignment, we unpack where actuaries should be exploring—and where they should proceed with caution. Whether you’re prototyping your first agent or weighing build-vs-buy, this episode brings real-world perspective to a fast-moving space.
Transcribe →Alp Can
Jan 2600:41:38Tap to summarizeLive from the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting, Alicia Burke and Erin Olson sit down with Alp Can to talk climate risk, tipping points, and what actuaries can do when the baseline itself is shifting. From disclosure frameworks to systems thinking to using the Actuaries Climate Index, this episode reframes climate not just as a risk—but as the new context for everything else.
Transcribe →Sergey Filimonov interview from CAS 2025 Annual Meeting
Jan 2100:43:35Tap to summarizeIn this crossover episode with Actuarial Review, Sergey Filimonov returns for round three to talk AI hype, hard truths, and what’s actually working. From compute costs and evals to regulatory gaps and sustainability risks, we get into the real impact AI is having on actuaries—and what to watch for next.🎧 Recorded live at the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting.
Transcribe →Michel Leonard on Geopolitics, Inflation, and Actuarial Blind Spots
Jan 1200:44:19Tap to summarizeWhat do trade wars, tariffs, and extreme weather have in common? They’re not just headlines—they’re actuarial inputs. Michel Léonard joins Alicia Burke and Sara Chen (Actuarial Review) to talk about modeling the unpredictable, why actuaries need to rethink volatility, and how economic risk signals are evolving faster than our frameworks.
Transcribe →DJ Falkson, FCAS
Jan 600:45:36Tap to summarizeDJ Falkson joins Alicia Burke and Max Martinelli live at the CAS Annual Meeting to unpack what housing, zoning, and migration have to do with insurance risk. From his work at Lemonade to his advocacy for smarter urban design, DJ shares why actuaries need to look upstream—not just at where risk lands, but what creates it. Expect history, policy, politics, and a reading list that’ll keep you busy.
Transcribe →Minisode - Brandon Katz on Paleoclimatology
Dec 2900:06:59Tap to summarizeWhat Ancient Climates Teach Us About Modern RiskIn this special minisode of Almost Nowhere, we continue the conversation with Brandon Katz, Executive Vice President at KatRisk, recorded at the 2025 CAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.Brandon, one of only a handful of insurance professionals with formal training in paleoclimatology, takes us back in time to explore how Earth’s ancient climate history can inform today’s catastrophe modeling and climate risk decisions. We discuss what long-term climate records reveal about variability, extremes, and uncertainty — and why looking millions of years into the past can help actuaries better understand the risks ahead.A thoughtful add-on to our full episode on climate data and catastrophe modeling, this minisode is perfect for listeners curious about how deep climate science connects to modern insurance practice.
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